Camp 2009
Friends,
We are delighted to share with the news of God’s work in Rwanda during our Kids Across Africa Summer Camp! Here’s a breakdown of our time together at the camp!
SERVING TOGETHER-COACHES CLINIC
July 24th was an epic day as we began by meeting nearly 30 Rwandans who served as our coaches/counselors for the kids. We were able to swap stories, smiles and friendships and walked away from the day deeply encouraged. It was a team-mowing job that we woke up to Saturday morning. The fields that played on throughout the week were in need of a good trim job. Lucky for us that John Deere and friends haven’t quite made themselves known in Rwanda just yet, so we, armed with machetes, slashers and shovels, became our own Rwandan version of our green American muscle. We were able to trim nearly and entire soccer field with our own hands in just under 2 hours….Who needs a riding lawn mower anyway?
SERVING THE KIDS
We only have space for 150. The first day of camp has officially come and gone with record numbers showing up to attempt to get into soccer camp. At one point, the estimate was 400+ lined up outside the front gate. After a couple hours of administrative work we had narrowed the numbers down. Every Camper received a pair of soccer cleats thanks to the US Soccer Foundation!
It was a tough day for everyone here. As we were so focused on everything that went wrong, such as 400 kids instead of 150, losing the field we had reserved for 2 months, schedules completely changing and just general tiredness, we forgot to see that God was ultimately still in control. The evening was worth celebrating. K-life was an incredible success with 2 hilarious skits, a great message and in a single prayer nearly 30 kids prayed to receive Christ. That is a victory that is worth every struggle we faced today.
AUDIENCE OF ONE
One of the great highlights of the camp his year was teaching the campers the “Athletic Principles of Competition”. The Athletic Principles of Competition were developed by Athletes in Action, the athletic ministry of Campus Crusade for Christ. Purpose: The Purpose of “The Principles” are to “transform sport into an opportunity to worship God and to create a learning experience so that we can learn to participate in sport in a way that honors Him.” In short, it is where God, Life, and Sport Unite. Here is an example of the curriculum:
Principle 1: Audience of One: Worship God through your sport
Ask: Who or what do I worship?
Read: 1 Kings 18:20-40 “The Story of Elijah & the Prophets of Baal”
Theme: God alone is worthy of our worship
Live It: Learning to compete for the Ultimate Audience transforms sport into worship
UNITED
Another great blessing that the campers received this year was their very own Soccer Jersey and Shorts. The excitement level sense of togetherness that each team felt having matching jerseys was incomparable. Can you imagine not ever having an organized sport in your life with coaches or jerseys? For some of these kids, this was the first time they felt apart of a team!
We couldn’t have done it alone. A startup company in Lowell, Arkansas donated all of the Coaches Warm-ups and Jerseys for the camp! Their company, called 316 Sports Gear (www.316justforyou.com) committed to the giving of their “first fruits” before anything else. We were the very first project they participated in. May God bless them and multiply their work. What a great example to all concerning giving for Kingdom work.
Thank you for your continuous support to the work God is doing in Rwanda, East Africa. You are needed now more than ever. Continue to pray and ask the Lord for the Harvest!
For His Glory,
The Kids Across Africa Family